diff --git a/conn/node.go b/conn/node.go
index 6e44c2941eb..01a4b8eb006 100644
--- a/conn/node.go
+++ b/conn/node.go
@@ -63,6 +63,9 @@ type Node struct {
 }
 
 func NewNode(rc *intern.RaftContext, store *raftwal.DiskStorage) *Node {
+	first, err := store.FirstIndex()
+	x.Check(err)
+
 	n := &Node{
 		Id:     rc.Id,
 		MyAddr: rc.Addr,
@@ -92,6 +95,14 @@ func NewNode(rc *intern.RaftContext, store *raftwal.DiskStorage) *Node {
 			// increasing the term, if the node has a good chance of becoming
 			// the leader.
 			PreVote: true,
+
+			// We can explicitly set Applied to the first index in the Raft log,
+			// so it does not derive it separately, thus avoiding a crash when
+			// the Applied is set to below snapshot index by Raft.
+			// In case this is a new Raft log, first would be 1, and therefore
+			// Applied would be zero, hence meeting the condition by the library
+			// that Applied should only be set during a restart.
+			Applied: first - 1,
 		},
 		// processConfChange etc are not throttled so some extra delta, so that we don't
 		// block tick when applyCh is full
@@ -104,6 +115,8 @@ func NewNode(rc *intern.RaftContext, store *raftwal.DiskStorage) *Node {
 		requestCh:   make(chan linReadReq),
 	}
 	n.Applied.Init()
+	// This should match up to the Applied index set above.
+	n.Applied.SetDoneUntil(n.Cfg.Applied)
 	return n
 }
 
diff --git a/dgraph/cmd/zero/raft.go b/dgraph/cmd/zero/raft.go
index fff331f96ab..99cfe17083d 100644
--- a/dgraph/cmd/zero/raft.go
+++ b/dgraph/cmd/zero/raft.go
@@ -355,8 +355,7 @@ func (n *node) triggerLeaderChange() {
 }
 
 func (n *node) initAndStartNode() error {
-	idx, restart, err := n.PastLife()
-	n.Applied.SetDoneUntil(idx)
+	_, restart, err := n.PastLife()
 	x.Check(err)
 
 	if restart {
diff --git a/worker/draft.go b/worker/draft.go
index bde38860415..e2c51a7dce2 100644
--- a/worker/draft.go
+++ b/worker/draft.go
@@ -931,9 +931,8 @@ func (n *node) retryUntilSuccess(fn func() error, pause time.Duration) {
 
 // InitAndStartNode gets called after having at least one membership sync with the cluster.
 func (n *node) InitAndStartNode() {
-	idx, restart, err := n.PastLife()
+	_, restart, err := n.PastLife()
 	x.Check(err)
-	n.Applied.SetDoneUntil(idx)
 
 	if _, hasPeer := groups().MyPeer(); !restart && hasPeer {
 		// The node has other peers, it might have crashed after joining the cluster and before
diff --git a/x/watermark.go b/x/watermark.go
index bb8d1597b7e..5d4e0be8826 100644
--- a/x/watermark.go
+++ b/x/watermark.go
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ type WaterMark struct {
 
 // Init initializes a WaterMark struct. MUST be called before using it.
 func (w *WaterMark) Init() {
-	w.markCh = make(chan mark, 10000)
+	w.markCh = make(chan mark, 100)
 	w.elog = trace.NewEventLog("Watermark", w.Name)
 	go w.process()
 }